Coast Mountain Bus Company route 3 'Main / Downtown'

3 Main/Downtown Marine Drive Station/Waterfront Station
New Flyer E60LFR – 2524 departing Main Street–Science World Station towards Marine Drive Station.
Service Area	Vancouver
Termini	Marine Drive Station Waterfront Station
Operations	Vancouver Transit Centre
Vehicles	NFI E40LFR * NFI E60LFR NFI XDE60 * Nova Bus LFS * Nova Bus LFS HEV *
Branches	3 Marine Drive Station 3 Waterfront Station
* In the event of a bus shortage or bus substitution. During snowfall, New Flyer E40LFR, Nova Bus LFS, and Nova Bus LFS HEV units may be used. In the event of a significant off-wire route diversion, New Flyer XDE60, Nova Bus LFS, and Nova Bus LFS HEV units are used.

3 Main/Downtown is a bus route operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Route Details

This is a north-south circular route connecting Marine Drive Station and Downtown Vancouver running along Main Street. It is a Frequent Transit Network (FTN) route with service 15 minutes or better for 15 hours or more, seven days a week. It is one of over a dozen routes that form as part of Vancouver's trolleybus network.

Trips depart from Marine Drive Station heading north on Yukon Street, east on SW Marine Drive becoming SE Marine Drive, north on Main Street, west on E. Hastings Street, north on Seymour Street, and east on W. Cordova Street to Waterfront Station at W. Cordova Street & Seymour Street. Continuing from Waterfront Station, the route continues east on W. Cordova Street, south on Main Street, east on E. 65th Avenue, south on Sophia Street, west on SE Marine Drive becoming SW Marine Drive, and south on Yukon Street to Marine Drive Station.

In October 2009, real-time information displays manufactured by INIT were installed at 29 stops along the route on Main Street. The displays were installed as part of the Main Street Urban Showcase Project, jointly funded by Transport Canada, TransLink, and the City of Vancouver.

Starting on December 31, 2020, 27 of these displays were retired and removed as the 2G network they ran on (which enabled internet connectivity to display information) was no longer supported by TransLink's service provider starting January 1, 2021. Two displays at Main Street–Science World Station were replaced by newer models – the same ones used at RapidBus stops – and the remaining 27 displays were removed.

Points of Interest

• Waterfront Station (Bay 3)
• Gastown
• Provincial Court of British Columbia
• Carnegie Community Centre
• Chinatown 溫哥華唐人街/華埠
• Thornton Park
• Main Street–Science World Station (Bay 1 – Main) (Bay 2 – Downtown)
• Science World
• Sunset Community Centre
• Punjabi Market ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਮਾਰਕਿਟ
• Marine Gateway
• Marine Drive Station (Bay 1)

History

Main article: Trolleybuses in Vancouver

For several decades, the 3 ran all the way to the West End along Robson Street. Prior to the amalgamation of trolleybus route numbers to transition routes from two route numbers for each direction to one route number, the 3 ran as the 3 Main/5 Robson. In 1997, the Robson portion of the route was separated to the 5 Robson/Downtown.

Before the route was introduced in 1953, this was a streetcar service that last ran as the 3 Main/7 Dunbar from Main Street & 50th Avenue and Dunbar Loop via Downtown Vancouver. Before the introduction of the Davie streetcar, the Main Street service ran as the 2 Davie–Main Street/3 Main Street South from English Bay to Main & 52nd.

Route History

For more details on the former Robson Street portion after September 1997, see the 5 Robson/Downtown page.

• May 1953 - Service introduced as 3 Main/5 Robson, replacing the Main Street portion of the 3 Main/7 Dunbar streetcar and the Robson Street portion of the 2 Broadway East/5 Robson trolleybus route. Discontinuation of streetcar service along Main Street begins, with full conversion expected to be completed by autumn 1953. Ceremonial last run on the Main Street streetcar line happens on May 8, 1953
• April 1981 - Inbound downtown routing revised to take Hastings Street between Main and Granville streets instead of Pender Street
• March 1986 - Service renumbered from 3 Main/5 Robson to 3 Main/Robson
• April 1991 - Sunday/holiday evening shuttle service in the West End introduced to run as 3 Robson/Downtown
• September 1997 - Robson section split to form the 5 Robson/Downtown; interlining with the 20 Victoria/Downtown begins. Downtown terminus was at Robson & Richards and trips continued as a 20 Victoria, with the starting point at Davie & Richards with trips coming off a 20 Downtown
• July 2005 - Service proposed to terminate in Chinatown, reducing service duplication into downtown due to low ridership and increasing service reliability
• September 2005 - Interlining with the 20 ends. Downtown terminus revised to Columbia & Pender in Chinatown
• December 2008 - Downtown terminus revised to Cordova & Seymour and routing revised to run via Hastings, Seymour onto Cordova. Service on Pender Street and Columbia Street discontinued
• September 2009 - Extended to Marine Drive Station with select trips short-turning at Marine & Main. Downtown terminus revised to Robson & Richards instead of Cordova & Seymour. Inbound routing revised to go via Hastings, Richards, Robson to interline with the 20 Victoria/Downtown. Outbound routing revised to come off the 20 and go via Robson, Seymour, Cordova
• September 2010 - Downtown routing reverted to via Hastings, Seymour, Cordova. Interlining with the 20 ends
• April 2014 - All trips revised to terminate at Main & Marine due to Marine Gateway construction; service along Marine Drive temporarily discontinued
• April 2015 - Service to Marine Drive Station reinstated
• September 2020 - All southbound trips revised to terminate at Marine Drive Station and discontinuation of short-turn trips at SE Marine & Main
• January 2022 - COVID-19 service adjustment: AM peak hour service adjusted from every 7–14 minutes to every 10–12 minutes. PM peak hour service adjusted from every 8–12 minutes to every 10–12 minutes. Evening weekday service decreased from every 9–16 minutes to every 12–19 minutes
• January 2023 - AM peak hour service reduced from every 8–15 minutes to every 10–15 minutes. PM peak hour service reduced from every 10 minutes to every 12–15 minutes. Saturday midday service reduced from every 12 minutes to every 15 minutes

References

• Route diagram of 3 Marine Drive Station/Main/Downtown, as of September 2010. Translink. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
• Public timetable of 3 Marine Drive Station/Main/Downtown, as of September 6, 2010. Translink. Retrieved November 27, 2010.

v·d·e Transit Centres Burnaby – Hamilton – Port Coquitlam – Richmond – Surrey – Vancouver Closed Transit Centres North Vancouver – Oakridge Under Contract First Transit – West Vancouver Transit Former Contractors Bonny's Taxi Ltd. – Bowen Island Community Transit – DW Services Ltd. – Metro Shuttle Service Ltd. Current Fleet 2101–2199, 2201–2289 2501–2540 2541–2574 3309–3358 7375–7399, 7401–7429 7430–7446 7447–7499, 7501–7504 8102–8117 8118–8156 9201–9276 9277–9285 9401–9499, 9501–9542 9543–9581, 9583–9590 9605–9699, 9701–9725 9726–9791 9797–9799 12001–12025 14001–14045 15001–15021 16001–16051 16101–16130, 16137 16201–16226 18001–18063 18101–18206 18301–18404 18451–18473 19001–19047 19101–19147 19301–19302 19303–19304 19401–19432 21001–21025 21401–21425 Community Shuttle Fleet 16501–16562 17506–17564 18510–18527 19503–19535, 19538–19549 19550–19554 21501–21562 Retired Fleet 1158–1192 1205–1223 1209–1210 2701–2947 3001–3021 3101–3210 3211–3257 3258–3282 3283–3299, 3301–3308 4101–4115 4116–4143 4144–4192 4193–4199, 4201–4278 5501–5508 5509–5521 6601–6630 7101–7150 7151–7197, 7199–7243 7244–7246 7247–7297 7298 7301–7374 8001–8021 8022–8047 8048–8099, 8101 9101–9115 9116–9127 Retired Community Shuttle Fleet S001 S002 (1st) S002 (2nd) S003–S004 S006–S012 S013–S016 S017 S018–S056 S057–S059 S060–S061 S062–S102 S200–S236 S237–S257 S258–S301 S302–S356 S357–S380 S381 S382–S393 S410–S434 S435–S464 S465–S471 S501–S544 S1301–S1320 S1321 S1322–S1325 Paint Schemes Other List of Current TransLink Ad-Wraps – List of Former TransLink Ad-Wraps – RapidBus – TransLink Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic – TransLink Vancouver 2010 Olympic Operations – Trolleybuses in Vancouver SeaBus Current Fleet Burrard Beaver – Burrard Pacific Breeze – Burrard Otter II – Burrard Chinook Retired Fleet Burrard Otter Terminals Lonsdale Quay – Waterfront Station Bus Loops and Exchanges Vancouver 29th Avenue Station – Blanca Loop – Boundary Loop – Burrard Station – Commercial–Broadway Station – Dunbar Loop – Joyce Station – Knight Street–Marine Drive – Kootenay Loop – Main Street Station – Marine Drive Station – Marpole Loop – Nanaimo Station – Stanley Park Loop – UBC Exchange – Waterfront Station Burnaby & New West 22nd Street Station – Braid Station – Brentwood Station – Edmonds Station – Lougheed Station – New Westminster Station – Production Way Station – Metrotown Station – SFU Exchange – Sperling Station Tri-Cities Burquitlam Station – Coquitlam Central Station – Moody Centre Station – Port Coquitlam Station Richmond Bridgeport Station – Richmond–Brighouse Station – Steveston Exchange North Shore Capilano University – Lonsdale Quay – Lynn Valley Centre – Park Royal – Phibbs Exchange Pitt Meadows & Maple Ridge Haney Place – Maple Meadows Station – Pitt Meadows Station South of Fraser Carvolth Exchange – Guildford Exchange – Ladner Exchange – Langley Centre – Newton Exchange – Scott Road Station – Scottsdale Exchange – South Delta Exchange – South Surrey Park and Ride – Surrey Central Station – White Rock Centre Former Exchanges Airport Station – Brentwood Mall – Coquitlam Station – Coquitlam Recreation Centre – Coquitlam Town Centre – East Guildford Park and Ride – Lougheed Mall – Lougheed Park and Ride – Matthews Exchange – Meadow Ridge Centre – Pitt Meadows Park and Ride – Port Moody Station – PNE Park and Ride – Port Coquitlam Centre – Renfrew Loop – Richmond Centre – Richmond Exchange – Sexsmith Park and Ride – South Richmond Park and Ride – Upper Zoo Loop – Walnut Grove Park and Ride Routes R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Conventional 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 19 20 22 25 26 27 28 29 32 33 41 44 49 50 84 99 100 101 104 106 110 112 116 119 123 128 129 130 133 134 136 143 144 145 150 151 152 153 155 156 159 160 179 183 188 191 209 210 211 212 222 228 229 230 231 232 236 240 241 245 246 247 249 250 253 254 255 257 258 301 310 311 312 314 316 319 320 321 323 324 325 326 329 335 337 340 341 342 345 350 351 352 354 364 375 388 391 393 394 395 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 410 418 430 480 501 502 503 509 531 555 595 601 602 603 604 606 608 620 640 701 791 900 Community Shuttle 23 31 42 68 103 105 109 131 132 146 147 148 157 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 180 181 182 184 185 186 187 189 214 215 226 227 251 252 256 262 280 281 282 322 360 361 362 363 370 371 372 373 412 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